Posts Tagged ‘Navajo Silver’

Navajo Jewelry Origins

We have just completed a great new informational page on Navajo Jewelry Origins and invite you to view it – we think you will get a lot of great informative information from this presentation.

Navajo Jewelry began around 1865 when a Navajo Blacksmith by the name of Atsidi Sani learned how to work with Silver from the Spaniard that came up from Mexico in search for Silver and Gold. Navajo Jewelry with Turquoise began shortly after as the Navajo has been wearing Turquoise Beads as well as other Turquoise ornaments for hundreds of years. Navajo Jewelry origins are from the Southwestern United States in the present Arizona and New Mexico regions.

Shortly after Atsidi Sani learned how to make Silver Jewelry he found that it was admired by the Navajo people and the demand for his work was more than he could produce. Atsidi Sani taught several other Navajo’s how to Silversmith and Navajo Jewelry took off. It was not long and the Indian Traders found that Native American Silver Jewelry was a good trade item and began making a brisk business in the Southwestern Silver business.

Navajo Jewelry

Early Navajo Jewelry was made with coin Silver that the Navajo’s would get from the U.S.Calvary, Indian Traders and Trading Posts. The earliest of their Jewelry was made with primitive tools and this is called First Phase Navajo Jewelry – this Jewelry is valuable and very hard to come by. The second phase of Jewelry is when their Jewelry became commercialized by the Indian Traders, the Navajo’s were now making Silver Jewelry for the marketplace. In the second phase, the Indian Traders helped the Natives with modern tools such as hammers, chizels and soon Silver slugs in leu of coin Silver. Second phase Navajo Jewelry is also valuable but is more common and much easier to find. The Turquoise Ring to the left is a late second phase period from about 1925.

Turquoise Navajo Jewelry

Navajo Turquoise Jewelry has been popular by Americans as well as other individuals throughout the world as it is some of the most unique Silver Jewelry in the world. Navajo Indian Jewelry is one of the most unique and notible items that we inherited from the great western American Frontier years and it is an important American Heritage of the United States of America.

The piece of Navajo Jewelry on the right is a classic old Navajo Turquoise Bracelet which was made about 1940. This is a very nice example of old Navajo Jewelry and is collectors quality Turquoise Jewelry.

Navajo Turquoise Jewelry – As Sterling Silver topped $30.00 an ounce in December of 2010, Navajo Turquoise Jewelry got much attention as well. The Navajo Jewelry market is doing well today and suppliers are selling up a storm at their old prices. Silver Jewelry of any type is a fantastic investment today as price increases are a sure bet for 2011.

I was talking to our Jewelers supply in Gallup, N.M. the other day and they said the Navajo’s were not coming in to buy Silver as the Indian Traders were not wanting to pay them the higher price needed due to the rise in Silver. The cost increase is having a major affect on the Navajo Silversmiths and Navajo Turquoise Jewelry may become difficult to buy soon.

Of, course many of the Navajo’s that make high quality Turquoise Jewelry are not affected to much as their Jewelry sells for a lot of money and an increase in price of their Navajo Turquoise Jewelry will be easily absorbed by the collectors.

The problem is for the Native Americans who make cheap Navajo Turquoise Jewelry to fill the fashion Jewelry market. This does represent a lot of Navajo Silversmiths who depend upon the less expensive Turquoise Jewelry market to make their living.

The cost of Sterling Silver is holding over $28.00 per ounce today and appears that it is going to continue to increase in value this year as China is telling their people to invest in Silver and industry is using nearly 15% more silver than is coming out of the ground.

The bottom line is that Navajo Turquoise Jewelry is a teriffic investment today and you can count on Silver Jewelry to take some dramatic jumps in cost for 2011.